Elective Attachment @ Ampang Hospital.

Everyone is so nice, from the Head of Department (who bought me breakfast on my last day and the good long chat), the Specialists (one of them taught me how to stitch episiotomy using the hand-tying technique), the MOs (the endless teachings, the assisting in conducting labours, as well as buying us teh-o-laici! hehe), the HOs (the endless silly jokes and hanging out in the pantry when there are no patients waiting in the PAC and for calling me the-nurse-with-the-blue-stethoscope because I know where the syringe and lignocaine are), the new HOs (who thought I was a doctor on their first day), the sisters (who taught me the correct way of conducting labours, how to minimise tears, and rolled up my sleeves when they were dipped in liqour.. eeuuww ), the staff nurses, community nurses and attachment nurses (the key ppl who made my attachment as educational and enjoyable and made me feel welcome), the patients (who recognized, smiled and talked to me when I saw them in the wards), the cleaners (one of them happens to be my schoolmate’s mum), the guards, the Radicare ppl (the friendly ppl who came in to repair CTG machines etc), the ppl in the cafeteria (who knows that I would order kopi-o-ais kurang manis). EVERYONE is so very NICE! =D. I would definitely miss everyone and hope to see everyone again soon! =).

Things I did over the 3 wks attachment:

- observe a lot of labours, assist a whole lot more and conducted 6 labours

-stitch epis.. well, skin only to be honest. =P

- first hand experiences of Eclampsia, PPH, baby with Apgar <4 (intubated and wheeled off to NICU and I was the one tapping the baby’s feet), Meconium Aspiration Syndrome, one case of IUD etc.

- the head of department, Dr. M trusted us (medical students) to go in and talk to a patient who just had an abortion because she had chorioamnionitis. She refused to talk to other doctors except for Dr. M. After being requested by the HoD, I went in and talked to her. (You should have looked at the MO’s face!). 4 years of bio-psycho-social model and communication skill in med school paid off. Now I come to realize the importance of the-ever-hated subject!

- one thing that surprised me was that MOs do not know what is an audit during department meeting.. I’m glad med school taught us how to conduct our own researches and audits, so I wasn’t clueless when the HoD was talking about improving the department..

- there was a case of a stuck up couple (well, i think the husband is the weirdo) who refused a nurse to conduct the labour. He said and i quote, “this is a doctor’s case”. So the whole-lot-more experienced nurses refused to go in during her labour. They sent in a new HO instead, who basically is clueless of how things work and where things are. They are good and experienced but not in a new setting. And even more so clueless as the patient had an epidural.. To be honest, when I’m in labour, I would prefer experienced nurses and midwives to conduct my case, well given there is no complications la kan.. ameeennn…

- hated to say this but I have to.. It seems that the nicer doctors (well, to us medical students.. not sure how they are with patients tho) are either overseas grads or non-Malays.. I wonder why…

Kak Ti, the nurse who helped me conducted half of my cases